Gastro Zimirvox
''This article is currently incomplete.'' Overview Gastro Zimirvox, more commonly known as Trade Prince Zimirvox, is the current ruler of the Sparkcog Cartel. Under his rule, Sparkcog grew into a vast trading empire from Kezan to beyond, and it has become far stronger than it has been in centuries. Background Where it all Began Gastro Zimirvox was born to a rich family of Sparkcog goblins. His mother, Sasha Boltclamp, was a successful businesswoman who controlled her own mining operation. His father, Quarzin Zimirvox, was a powerful and influential Baron of the Sparkcog Cartel, controlling a sizeable piece of Sparkcog land within Undermine. He also had two younger siblings, his brother Vinaz Zimirvox and his sister Bonny Zimirvox. Gastro grew as any rich goblin child would. Just like his siblings, he was pampered, spoiled, and shaped into an ideal businessman to carry on the family's future. For many years Gastro attended numerous classes and private tutoring sessions in the goblin fine arts, otherwise known as swindling, engineering, goblin politics, economics, bribing, and goblin history. His social interaction was limited to his siblings, and in turn of this he became very close to them. After years of learning, Gastro began to reach the pivotal age of 12, where he would be set out into the world to start his own business. Unfortunately for him, the first Trade War broke loose across Kezan, only months before his birthday. Gastro was forced to hide in an extremely expensive bunker with the rest of his family, their butlers, and his tutors. During this time, his younger siblings surpassed their coming of age rituals, and they began plotting to start their own business together. Gastro was eager for the war to end, and with that a chance to make his own name. Out of the Bunker Finally breathing the almost fresh air once again, and after a few months of eating and rest in their missed mansion, the three siblings set out to begin their business. Very early on heated conflicts began to spark among the three, mainly Bonny complaining about the company's design. Though this had been planned during their many years in the bunker, Bonny was a female goblin going through puberty, and was extremely unstable. Leaving to start her own business, the two brothers shrugged and went to pursue their goals. Using the kickstart money given to them by their parents, Gastro and Vinaz invested in a large factory and store building to house their company's operations. Their goal was to produce engineering and construction items, such as nails, wrenches, cogs, screws, motors, steel bars, and all the likes. With the devastation of the Trade War still fresh in Kezan's air the two where able to quickly find many dedicated, often very powerful, clients for their wares. They named themselves "Two Brothers Co.", and quickly gained a widespread, positive reputation. If undisturbed, Two Brothers Co. would have grown into a massive industry, but unfortunately they were disturbed. As the volatile goblin politics exploded once again, a second Trade War swept across Kezan. Believing he would be able to gain large portions of Bilgewater and Steamwheedle land if won, the new Sparkcog Trade Prince, Dazian Reklix, called for a draft. With a fiery ambition, he refused all payoffs, which shocked thousands, and everyone of age was forced into the military. Vinaz and Gastro were no exceptions, but were able to turn the situation into a positive light. Investing hundreds of thousands of Macaroons into a premium-class and luxurious War Zeppelin, and then bribing their way up to Captains, the two believed they could drastically increase their fame as heroes once the war passed. The Second Great War As the eldest, Gastro was chosen to command the crew, and Trade Prince Reklix welcomed the powerful war zeppelin to his ranks. Gastro, intent on claiming his fame as a war hero, charged into many battles head-on. Through dumb luck, and his extremely expensive Zeppelin, he was able to claim numerous victories. With this, he quickly soared to the command of other Zeppelins, slowly gathering his own fleet. Both Vinaz and Gastro became increasingly overconfident, believing they were invincible, tactical geniuses. As they won more and more battles General Zazzin Steelwrench, one of Reklix's top generals, approached Gastro with an important mission. He was to assault the large enemy fortress of Krazzenburg, which was holding the front lines against Sparkcog forces. In a quick and impulsive decision, Gastro agreed to the challenge and set off immediately. Accompanied with hundreds of dogfighters and his personal fleet of Zeppelins, Captain Zimirvox began his assault upon the fortress-city. Blindly charging the city, he found his forces quickly ripped to shreds, and in horror watched as his own Zeppelin began to plummet to the ground in flames. Gastro woke up in an intensive care room within one of Sparkcog's finest hospitals after suffering a short coma. Though he survived, he mangled a large portion of his legs, and over three fourths of them had to be amputated. His crew could not be as lucky as him, and nearly everyone in the assault died, including Vinaz. The incident became known as the "Krazzenburg Disaster", and spread like wildfire throughout Kezan's media. Because of this, his family was a target of hate and prejudice, quickly losing their influence, money, and power. Shamed by his utter failure, Gastro retreated from the public world to live in the shadows. From Riches to Rags and Back Taking refuge within the slums of Westcog Port, a small Sparkcog trading city, Gastro lived in seclusion, permanently bound to a wheelchair. He drudgingly went through his daily life for nearly a year, observing the low-class, shack-bound goblins. One day, he came to a shocking realization. Not that he had been spoiled and overconfident, but that he was too good to lurk with these losers until the end of days. A new determination burned within him, and he set forth to create one of his most ambitious goals of the time. Visiting the bank to withdraw what was left of his treasury, he found most of it taken already by his family, and Vinaz's own empty. Luckily, he was able to scrape up enough Macaroons to suffice for his project. Locking himself up within his shanty house, living off only instant noodles, Gastro worked intensely on his new invention. He intended to create what was only known as science fiction to the time, an advanced pair of mechanical legs, to fill the gap where his old ones once were. Many incantations of his legs rose, some with wheels, others with treads, others that only had one leg, but all were discarded. After months of strenuous work, Gastro finally developed a prototype to his ideal mechanical legs. With his vast engineering knowledge he gathered over the years, he had finally created his most prized and important invention. For now he kept them a secret, as the publicity he would recieve would not fully benefit him at this point. With legs once again, Gastro felt like his old self. He began treading on his road to glory again, which he had began nearly six years ago. With his old company, "Two Brothers Co." shattered and disbanded, all contact and probably respect lost with his parents, and an infamous reputation among Kezan, Gastro was forced to start from bottom up. Collecting his remaining few thousand macaroons, he started a small engineering appliance and wares shop. He was able to rack up a fair amount of business, but still desired more. With the help of hired professionals, he began to strategically sabotage other competitors, even if they didn't know him, and slowly one after another fell. Numerous bombs going off, entire shipments of supplies disappearing, stacks of illegally printed macaroons appearing in stores, all these inconveniences gave way for Gastro's own shop to boom in business. Slowly but surely, Gastro formed a powerful monopoly after destroying all his competition, one way or another. With his newfound power came the goblin media, and a new surge of popularity. Entering the scene of Kezan's celebrity life once again, Gastro revealed his mechanical legs, gaining him much support and turning the opinions of once stark opposers to his favor. Doing this also gathered him respect and curiosity from the famed Tinker's Union, establishing a large array of contacts within it. Gastro moved out of Westcog Port, to his childhood home and the heart of the Cartel, Sparkcog Undermine. Gastro had proved himself as a financial and engineering genius among the many denizens of Kezan. For a while, Gastro was known as the model of the "ideal goblin man". He was also able to get back in touch with his parents, sending them money and restoring their reputation, in hope their influence would be able to benefit him in the future. By giving out bribes, manipulating the media and influential peoples, creating a large network of spies and information brokers, eliminating competing businesses, and using his own wits, Gastro was able to create one of the most successful companies on Kezan and create a powerful monopoly over many industries. Amidst this success, Trade Prince Reklix sat brooding over Gastro's success, angry that the goblin who nearly lost the war for them, and who he now hated himself, had gained so much support. He intended to fix things to go his way. A Secret War Though Trade Prince Reklix never had a personal vendetta against Gastro, his failure had severely damaged their armies and ultimately caused them to gain little to nothing in the last Trade War. He spread much negative propaganda against Gastro and his family after the incident, but all that seemed to of dissapeared by now. Infuriated by this, and unwilling to let go of a grudge, he began to plot against Gastro. In order to accomplish destroying all of Gastro's work, and ultimately Gastro himself, he had to do this secretly as Gastro had gained too much support to oppose publically.